Open government as a strategy for growth: Beth Noveck will share lessons and strategic vision at Digital Venice

In a scenario of growing distrust towards political institutions, open government is today’s keyword in the public debate on transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More, accountability and participation.

It is often overlooked, though, that open government is also decisive in enabling a long-term growth strategy that can be both ambitious and respectful of all the actors involved. From crafting public policies to implementing them incisively and cost-effectively, a digital strategy and an open approach are the two sides of the same coin: they are irreplaceable in order to build an effective route that can anticipate the challenges that our country and the European Union are set to face.

Open government is a unique opportunity to reconnect public administrations to citizens, share a common vision for the future and create a truly participatory democracy where civil society and business can both thrive.

As a member of the Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More (OGP) and moving towards its second national action planAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen..., Italy has a practical way to start this revolution and should be deeply committed to involving citizens and civil society organizations in the aforementioned strategy.

This is a timely discussion as, starting today, Italy will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union and preside over its work for the next semester.

As part of the Italian civil society, Diritto Di Sapere, an NGO committed to protect and enhance access to information in Italy, organizes a workshop entitled “Open Government: a strategy for governance innovation and inclusive growth .”

The event will be launched by Beth Noveck, who will share lessons from working to innovate governance from within the US and UK governments, as well as her strategic vision for what governance will look like in the coming years.

The workshop will then explore opportunities in depth, as well as obstacles at implementing better crafted and co-ordinated initiatives (both nationally and internationally) towards efficient innovation in governance and push Italian leaders, institutions and officials towards a better understanding and a more ambitious agenda on open government.

The meeting is part of Digital Venice, a high-level meeting, hosted by the City of Venice and promoted by the Italian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, with the support of European Commission – DG Connect, that will gather policy, industry and innovation leaders from all over Europe to trace the road to a growing, sustainable digital economy.

It is organized with the support of the Human RightsAn essential part of open government includes protecting the sacred freedoms and rights of all citizens, including the most vulnerable groups, and holding those who violate human rights accountable. T... Initiative – Open Society Foundations.

PROGRAMME

09,45 – Registration

10,00 – Introduction:

Andrea Menapace – DDS founder & IRM national researcher at Open Government Partnership

10,15 – Keynotes by:

Beth Noveck – GovLab, co-founder and former United States deputy chief technology officer for open gov   

10,40 – Beyond Transparency: Challenges – Short talks by:

• Ernesto Belisario – Open Government Forum – Italy
• Alberto Alemanno – Jean Monnet Chair in EU Law and Risk RegulationGovernment reformers are developing regulations that enshrine values of transparency, participation, and accountability in government practices. Technical specifications: Act of creating or reforming ..., HEC Paris
• Ben Worthy – University of London, IRM researcher for the UK
• Veronica Cretu – Open Government Partnership, Steering CommitteeThe Steering Committee is OGP’s executive decision-making body. Its role is to develop, promote and safeguard OGP’s values, principles and interests; establish OGP’s core ideas, policies, and ru...
• Maurizio Napolitano e Francesca de Chiara – OKF Italy, Digital Commons Lab

11.40 – Break

11,55 – Beyond Transparency: Opportunities (Roundtable):

• Liz David-Barrett  – Oxford University, Said Business School
• Pia Marconi –  Public Administration Department, Italian Government
• Neil Campbell – Head of EU Policy Development, Open Society European Policy Institute
• Lorenzo Segato – Director, RiSSC
• Alina Ostling –  European University Institute & IRM national researcher at OGP for Sweden

Moderator: Guido Romeo (Wired Italy, Data and Business Editor) 

Image credit: Venice Stree Scene, via WikiMediaCommons